Press Releases

Rochester, NH – Yesterday, Granite Staters in the First District voted to send Carol Shea-Porter back to Washington for a fourth term in Congress.

“I am grateful to the voters of New Hampshire’s First District for electing me again to serve the good people of our district. Since the beginning, I’ve worked to represent ‘The Rest of Us.’ That was our message during this campaign, and I am looking forward to working for the rest of us in Congress.

Manchester, NH— Tonight, the Carol Shea-Porter campaign released the following statement on the Granite State Poll:

"Carol enters the countdown to Election Day with a solid lead and the wind at her back. New Hampshire voters know Carol is a dedicated, trustworthy public servant who follows her conscience and puts middle class families first. Carol's integrity and honesty stand in sharp contrast to her opponents: one has spent his political career lying to New Hampshire voters about his breaking the law by accepting illegal campaign contributions, and the other keeps switching political parties because he stands for nothing but his own ambition. Both have failed to fool New Hampshire voters, who are set to send a clear message at the ballot box Tuesday: Carol Shea-Porter is the only candidate who has both integrity and experience and will be their trusted, independent representative in Congress," said Naomi Andrews, spokeswoman for Carol Shea-Porter.

Tonight, Carol Shea-Porter will face Frank Guinta in the final debate of the 2016 cycle. The voters of New Hampshire’s First District will be presented with a stark contrast between their policies, their character, and their vision for New Hampshire and the country. Carol Shea-Porter has been an honest, independent, and effective leader for New Hampshire. Frank Guinta accepted $355,000 in illegal campaign contributions and lied about it for five years.

Today, the workers from the Metal Trades Council at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard endorsed Carol Shea-Porter for Congress at Prescott Park in Portsmouth. Metal Trades Council President Mark Vigliotta delivered remarks praising Shea-Porter for her commitment to the Shipyard and for standing up for all the men and women that work there.

Tonight, Carol Shea-Porter continued her dominant debate performances, holding Guinta accountable for his constant deception of New Hampshire voters. On issue after issue, Frank desperately tried to inflate his record, but Carol wouldn’t let him. She held him responsible for voting against funding for opioid treatment and prevention and for failing to provide adequate funding for the new programs passed last summer. He wasn’t able to defend his irresponsible votes to take drug treatment away from 6,000 people.

“This is important work that needs to be done, but if you’re going to vote against the ACA than you’re voting to take away treatment. There’s no other way to explain that. You actually voted against the bill, the Omnibus, last December which had money for treatment for opioid and heroin addiction,” Shea-Porter said. “Now you’re on the Budget Committee. You didn’t get your budget passed. But you voted for things in the Budget Committee, and one of them, you had an opportunity to vote for more money for the opioid crisis, and you said no. So you can’t stand here and say that you know that we need these resources and then go to Washington and vote against it,” added Shea-Porter.

Shea-Porter laid out her plans for the future, “There’s no statute of limitations on caring for people,” she said. She called for affordable higher education for Americans and highlighted her record expanding Pell Grants and lowering student loan interest rates by having students apply directly for a federal school loan. The subsidies that banks used to collect were plowed back into increasing Pell Grant funding.

On funding for education for children with disabilities, Shea-Porter said, “It’s really shameful, it’s a commitment [Congress] made, and they should honor it.” She showed the audience her compassion and commitment for fighting for all Americans, not just those at the very top. “We have to keep working at this because it’s an obligation we have to every child no matter where that child is no matter what the zip code is, no matter what the difficulties that their family faces or the child faces, the challenges. Every child deserves an opportunity to be fully engaged and part of what I call a piece of the American Dream,” concluded Shea-Porter.

Manchester, NH— Today, highly respected former Manchester Alderman William Cashin endorsed Carol Shea-Porter for Congress. William B. Cashin served a record 16 consecutive terms as an alderman representing Wards 10 and 11 on the Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen. The William B. Cashin Senior Activity Center is named in his honor.

"I've always admired former Alderman Bill Cashin's commitment to public service, and he has a long and impressive record of service to the people of Manchester. I'm truly honored to have his endorsement, and I thank him," said Carol Shea-Porter.

Full endorsement:

I am endorsing Carol Shea-Porter because I believe she is the best candidate to represent Manchester in the U.S. House of Representatives. In this election, it is vital that voters send to Congress candidates whom we are assured will help and defend ordinary people.

When I say ordinary, I am not talking about people who are average or common, but people like you and me, people without great wealth or connections, people for whom the “System” is something not to be manipulated. I speak of people who are part of a community that helps them realize their hopes and dreams if they play by the rules and work hard.

The people I served as alderman for 32 years were people who gave back to the community more than they took, but who relied on the community they built with their family, friends and neighbors for help if the chips were down. These are people whose labor and their commitment to faith, duty and love of country made the United States the greatest nation on earth, and New Hampshire the best state to live in.

I am voting for Carol Shea-Porter as her record shows she is committed to defending two of the most vulnerable groups of Americans, senior citizens and veterans. I am both a senior and a vet.

The fight to ensure that seniors can enjoy their twilight years with security and dignity has been, and unfortunately still is, challenging and difficult, given the long history of opposition of Republicans to Social Security. This is a fight that has spanned my entire lifetime, the Social Security Administration having been established by Franklin D. Roosevelt. It is a fight that was and is lead by Democrats like Carol Shea-Porter.

New Hampshire is the only state lacking a full-service veteran’s hospital. Over a decade ago, when Republicans controlled the New Hampshire Congressional delegation, the Manchester Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC) suffered cutbacks and lost its status as a hospital. The staffing levels of the facility deteriorated as Republicans during the George W. Bush Administration pushed for privatization.

The attempted privatization of veteran’s health care services was defeated. After the election of Carol Shea-Porter and fellow Democrat Paul Hodes to the House in 2006, and with Democrat Jeanne Shaheen elected to the Senate in 2008, the situation at the Manchester VAMC improved. Over 160 staff were added.

Unfortunately, with the return of Republican control of the Senate and the return of Frank Guinta to the House, there are again problems at the VAMC. I believe that returning Carol Shea-Porter to the House and electing Maggie Hassan to the Senate are necessary to ensure that the Manchester VAMC not only is preserved, but will once again become a full-service hospital, improving care for New Hampshire’s vets.

I also am voting for Carol Shea-Porter as I have her commitment that, in Congress, she will do all she can to help Manchester, the largest city in the Granite State, address its problems. When I began my career as an alderman, Manchester was in a severe economic decline due to the loss of manufacturing jobs caused by the closing of the textile mills and shoe manufacturers. In the generation that followed, I worked with many dedicated individuals to reverse that decline.

Our efforts grew stronger due to the tenacious support of the community, those ordinary people who have always been the backbone of the Democratic Party. After many long years, we achieved a great success. The Queen City, which once seemed to have a bleak future, regularly was named as one of the Top Ten cities to live in, in the United States.

Our fight for Manchester’s future was a vision that attracted the support of good people of both parties, as does so many programs created and shepherded by Democrats, like Social Security and Medicare. Those vital programs enjoying broad, bipartisan support among ordinary people again are under threat. And so is the economic future of Manchester.

It is sad to see the progress that came through hard work and the love of this great city jeopardized.

Manchester recovered from the economic decline caused by the loss of manufacturing jobs, and the Queen City flourished. But in recent years, Manchester has been plagued by difficulties foreshadowing a new economic decline, caused by the mismanagement or municipal economic policy by two Republican mayors.

This cycle, which is marked by the erosion of Manchester’s ability to attract manufacturers, began under then-Mayor Frank Guinta. Carol Shea-Porter is committed to strengthening the economic base of Manchester and New Hampshire through economic policies that will make our city and state attractive to companies representing the 21st Century economy, with their innovative products and services and high-paying jobs.

I ask you to vote for Carol Shea-Porter as the only candidate with a proven record of defending and helping seniors and veterans, and because of her commitment to the economic development of Manchester and New Hampshire.

Thank you.

William B. Cashin,Manchester, New Hampshire

William B. Cashin served a record 16 consecutive terms as an alderman representing Wards 10 and 11 on the Manchester Board of Mayor and Aldermen. The William B. Cashin Senior Activity Center is named in his honor.

Today, prominent businessman and New Hampshire Republican activist Bill Greiner endorsed Carol Shea-Porter for Congress. Mr. Greiner, former Chair of the Bedford Town Council, is a lifelong Republican, and has supported Republican candidates up and down the ballot in New Hampshire. In addition, Mr. Greiner will appear in radio ads in support of Carol Shea-Porter.

In a new ad, Congressman Frank Guinta is once again trying to trick New Hampshire's First District voters into thinking that Carol Shea-Porter, who was a member of the House Armed Services Committee, who was a military spouse and who fights hard for veterans, is weak on defense.